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Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Virtual Museum of Architecture (VMA) 2013 Spring
Build-off is coming soon.The theme is
the homes of Feudal Japan.The competition
will be to create the most functional and appealing house within the parameters
of the Japanese feudal era.

Registration will
be from February 1 through February 28, 2013.The building will take place during 48 hours, from March 1 through March
3.This is always an exciting event,
with both an Opening Ceremony and ending with a big celebration party.

To register for
the Build-off, or for more information, visit the kiosk at the VMA Storefront,
located at BUILDER'S BREWERY - CREATORS VIL, Builders Resource (212, 59, 23).

There will be
both Pro and Novice divisions.A Pro is defined as anyone who has sold builds
in-world or on SL Marketplace for at least three months, although residents can
voluntarily choose this category.All
others would be in the Novice division. The specific rules will be given to residents
who register for the competition and pay a donation fee of $500L.

For more
information, contact Djinn Dasmijn, Build-off Coordinator, for the Virtual
Museum of Architecture.

At "Sweethearts Jazz Original" today, a ten hour fundraiser for Alzheimers and Dementia research will be held from about 8AM SL time to about 6PM. Live singer Debi Latte will be singing for the last hour, "I'll be singing at 5 pm... bringing the musical entertainment portion of their event to a close."

"Help us honor those who can no longer remember. It will be a lovely event - hope you'll join us!"

It was another January day at the Podex Exchange. The Christmas season was over. But people still came in to buy, or sell, Lindens. People still had rezzdays, people still wanted to look good, and there were the virtual pets. And of course the merchants making a profit would convert some to other kinds of currencies.

Between customers the tellers talked a little about goings-on. There were a number of Winter festivals. Two talked about going to Superbowl parties on the first weekend of next month. Another talked about going to the recently reopened Green Meadows club, noting it's similarity to the club in a movie from the 70s.

In the middle of one of their discussions, someone walked in. One of the tellers looked over, "Mr. Shuftan?"

The other tellers almost jumped as they looked to the entrance, expecting their boss. Instead, there was a somewhat short figure, foxlike with a red tail and red and white fur over his face. He wore a brown jacket over a green shirt. Over his red hair was a white fedora.

"Sorry if I startled you," the figure spoke, "Not many share my last name."

"Um, yes, of course Editor Shuftan," the first teller to notice him spoke again, "Were you here to discuss our advertising agreement? The boss isn't here, but we'll gladly pass on a message."

"It's not that. It looks like instead of you paying me, I'm here to make a transaction myself."

"I don't believe you have, Sir."

"I haven't. A business owner asked me for a loan, and I was sure he'd repay me. Well, as it turns out, he's not in any shape to, and I'll need to pay my writers soon. Not to mention the rent on my land."

"Oh, of course. Well, I assume you'll be making the transaction in US Dollars?"

"Yes."

"And will you be doing a Ukash voucher, bank transfer, online bank payment, or Paypall?"

"Paypall. I just signed up with them."

"Well sir, just sign this form right here."

The paperwork was fairly short, so it wasn't long at all before the transaction was made, and the customer had his Lindens."

"Thank you, Editor Shuftan. It's not every day we meet someone with the same surname as our boss."

The foxlike figure chuckled a bit, "Yes, it's become something of a joke between us. He's called himself my distant Polish cousin."

The teller grinned, "Of course, but aren't you usually in an overcoat."

The customer chuckled, "Hey, I don't spend every moment being 'Fox News.' "

They had a good laugh, and the bank's latest customer went on his way.

The Podex Exchange is located at Moonbeam (26, 223, 34), with a website at http://www.podex.info/. Jacek Shuftan is the CEO.Note: The preceding is a fictional story, written for the dual purpose of advertisement and entertainment.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Relay For Life fundraising season doesn't officially begin until March. But already the radio show about the event is starting weekly broadcasts. Bixyl Shuftan was invited to drop in to sit with the Relayers as they discussed both the past season and plans for the one ahead for 2013.

Gemma Cleanslate recently wrote about two sims she found a joy to visit: Greyhaven and Pala. Built for fun with some effort to keep down the lag, they offer fun with fishing, target shooting, and other things. Or you could just explore around that nook and cranny you haven't been at yet.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

January changes to February this week. And the number of Valentines events begins to grow, in addition to some changes to the schedule of the FCA clubs. And besides the special events, take a look at our selection of our regular ones such as book & poetry readings, talk shows, live and DJ music events, races, and church services.

Grease Coakes recently took a little time off his rounds on the Grid to take a look at a game: Torchlight 2. Taking place years after the events in the original game, the player character takes on a quest to stop a one-time hero gone bad. So how did Grease like the game?

Longtime residents remember Torley Linden and his turorial videos from about six to three years ago. He'd greet watchers with the expression "Friendly Greetings!" Then he would proceed to give instructions about a particular topic, such as editing textures or adjusting preferences. Well, it seems Torley Linden is back and narrating a new series of instructional videos.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see several new “QuickTips” clips
that are designed to help new and existing users learn the basics of
Second Life. Forthcoming tutorial clips will help teach the basics of
shopping, socializing, connecting with communities, finding interesting
places and more.

The first video tutorial in this new series
focuses on customizing your appearance in Second Life. One of the first
things most Second Life users do upon arriving inworld is to personalize
their digital identity to reflect their own style.

Watching the video, I noticed a few things. It certainly sounds like Torley's narrating it, though it doesn't say who is. It's also noticably shorter than most of Torley's video's, which could go on for ten minutes or longer. This one was exactly one minute long. And of course the "Friendly Greetings" opening was gone.

The Youtube had several comments. People were glad that Torley was back, but to some viewers, the video just didn't seem right. The lack of the "Friendly Greetings," the push to visit Marketplace, it just seemed a bit forced some.

But most everyone feels that the return of these videos is a good thing. The big thing many miss is Torley's "Friendly Greetings" remark.

Daniel Voyager last week reported that at the NonProfit Commons meeting then, there was an announcement that the VWBPE, Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education, would be holding their sixth annual conference in Second Life in July 2013.

Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education is a global grass-roots
community event focusing on education in immersive 3D environments. This
open “indie”conference is organized by educators to provide an
opportunity to showcase the learning that takes place in this community
of practice. All educators are encouraged to present, attend and take
part in this discussion of collaborative deeper learning and co-presence
in virtual worlds and games.

The VWBPE event last year took place over several days last March, with numerous events and discussions, such as a dragon parade Gemma Cleanslate covered.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Today, DrFran Babcock looks at a letter from a reader whom has been in some interesting times. While working at the Relay For Life, she met someone, and as time went on, it looks more and more like true love. There's just one not so small problem.

Last week on January 24, Linden Lab announced they had purchased the iPad game "Blocksworld." Described on it's own website as a "mix of Lego and Minecraft," the Linden press release described it as an iPad game in which players use cubes, wedges, rockets, wheels, motors, and more to easily create 3D models of anything they can imagine - from race cars to animals to robots and more. These models come alive with realistic physics simulation, and users can play, interact, or even explode their creations. As with Linden Lab's Creatorverse, Blocksworld allows users to share their creations with others to explore, play with, and remix to make their own.

CEO Rod Humble was quoted in the statement, "Blocksworld is a great fit with what we do at Linden Lab. It's a very user-friendly complement to our portfolio of shared creative spaces, We're happy to have the Blocksworld team join Linden Lab and are looking forward to bringing Blocksworld to the App Store worldwide soon!"Boldai, the team behind the game, is based in Sweden. On the website, they stated Blocksworld was developed at the University of Linkoping.

It's notable that in their press release, Linden Lab called itself not just "the makers of Second Life," but "the makers of Second Life, Creatorverse, Patterns, and other shared creative spaces." Some established residents of the Grid, already feeling the Lindens are leaving them behind, might consider this statement further evidence that they are.

Hamlet Au in New World Notes suggested that the purchase was motivated
by predictions of tablets outselling desktop computers within two years.
Ciaran Laval on her blog felt Rod Humble was continuing to move Linden
Lab forward, expanding it and making it known for more than just Second
Life.

On
February 14, 2013, for 24 hours starting at midnight Pacific Standard Time,
Second
Life residents
will join with activists around the world in a spectacular 24-hour dance event
for ONE BILLION RISING, the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the
global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.

ONE
BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic
that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.
With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION
WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, men and women in Second
Life
will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the
world to Walk, Dance, and Rise as a show of unity, individual strength, and
the need for change.The
Second
Life
event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together,
surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A
variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all
over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The
regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an
opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event's Flickr
group.The
objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however,
information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing
to donate.One
Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Alchemy Immortalis; Bits and
Bobs Animations; Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Galland Homes;
Garden of Dreams; Gos Boutique; Gwen Carillon Designs/Serenite; Heart Garden
Centre; Kaerri; Maven Homes; Meshworx; Prime; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind
sponsors are: CaLLie CLine; Fruit Islands; Home and Garden Market; KittyCatS!;
and Prim Perfect Publications.For
more information: Our
blog: http://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/Our
webpage at One Billion Rising: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/startarising/wd8Our
Second Life Group: One Billion RisingOur
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Billion-Rising/493344827375934?ref=hlOur
Twitter Stream: https://twitter.com/OBRinSLOur
Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2169739@N23/Saffia Widdershins

On Monday January 21 at 5:30 PM SL time, there was a reading of speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. at the UUtopia Peace Center in the UUtopia sim. Caledonia Skytower spoke the selections to an audience at the center.

Following the speech readings, Fredia Frostbite lead those who didn't leave into a meditation session.

King was a Civil Rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s, known for his campaigns of nonviolence and civil disobedience. He was assassinated in 1968. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill making January 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday in the United States. A few states were slow to enact it, or in the case of Virginia combining the holiday with another honoring two Civil War generals as "Lee-Jackson-King Day."

Saturday, January 26, 2013

January 26 is known as Australia Day in the land down under, and it was reflected in Second Life with the holiday being celebrated at a few Aussie clubs. Among them was "The Pocket," which has live singers performing every Friday night. And with the holiday happening in real life with many of the regulars, the place was in a party mood.

Prouduced by Pet Karu, "The Friends of Unity presented the
first Second Life® based theater production of biblical stories. The
performances over weeks inworld provided funds to be given to the Heifer
International Foundation (http://www.heifer.org/ ). I created this machinima at their request."

In recent days, two men have made news about what they did on the Internet. One was a football player whom was apparently duped into falling for a made-up girl. The other was Aaron Swartz, programmer and Internet activist.

Swartz is described as having been "immersed" in computers and the Internet from a very young age, programing, and later founding the software company Infogami, which later merged with the social website Reddit. CNN described him as helping to develop RSS coding "which allows websites to send updates to subscribers." "Swartz made some of today's more expansive Internet possible."

But Swartz was better known for contributing and helping to shape the philosophy and culture of the Internet, that information should be free and easily available, "He was a technologist who was committed to open access to information, and committed to bringing about the changes he believed in." At his own expense, he downloaded and made available to the public a fifth of the US Federal court PACER database. Then he founded "Demand Progress," an Internet activist organization. He also helped in the fights against the Internet censorship bills SOPA and PIPA.

Unfortunetly, he was in trouble at this time. Federal prosecutors accused him of using an MIT computer to download over 4 million articles from a library of academic journals. The university refused to press charges, and "urged" the government to let him go. Instead, Swartz was accused of wire fraud, computer fraud, hacking, and other charged that could have resulted in a prison sentence of 35 years. He was indicted in July 2011. With depression possibly a factor, Swartz hanged himself on January 11th. Both family and fellow Internet activists were quick to blame the Federal prosecutors who had went after him, who continue to defend their actions.

Aaron Swartz was 26.

*Update* CNN reports that the "Anonymous" hacker group has threatened the US Department of Justice, saying they may release sensitive files, expressing anger over Swartz's death.

Friday, January 25, 2013

With severe weather making the news in parts of the country, Grey Lupindo recently took a look at the "Winter Safety Game" in Second Life. Made to be educational as well as entertaining, the game tests your knowledge of winter driving. In places where snowstorms make travel hazardous, the right choices can not only be convenient, but also life-saving.

DrFran Babcock, recently found a fun Valentine's Day themed attraction: the Valentine Maze by Shockwave Yareach. In the maze one hunts down candy hearts, though it's not as simple as it first looks. After looking the maze over, she found the builder and had a few words with him. This maze wasn't his first, and he plans to bring back an old favorite later this year.

The Palais Orleans Gallery 2 has
an amazing new exhibit . It is called Unified Heart 2013. The owner and
curator Morgana Nagorski of the galleries told me, “In Jan 2012 we had a
phenomenally successful exhibition - Unified Heart - where 20 artists
interpreted the words of a Leonard Cohen song of their choice. Now we are doing
it again! Thirteen of the artists from last time and eight additional ones are
participating in Unified Heart 2013. A homage to the beauty and genius of this
iconic Singer songwriter who has been a part of many lives for many
years.”

The words of the song, or poem, are next to each piece on the wall.
You can view the picture , read the song words, then view the piece again and,
perhaps , understand the artist’s interpretation. All the scenes are lovely and
so interesting in their different styles Each artist was free to chose
their own songs as they were inspired and it was interesting that only 2 artists
chose the same words.

The
gallery will host the exhibit from January 26 through April 21 so you will have
a while to visit and view. You can also visit the other two galleries and those
exhibits. . There will be opening parties to which you are invited on Saturday,
January 26 from 6:00-8:00pm SL time or Sunday January 27 from 10:00am to
noon . http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gardenia%20Islands/106/64/2501

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Cancer is a horrible illness, claiming thousands of lives every year. It has claimed a number of real life friends, and neighbors. A number of charities raise funds for research, and otherwise helping those stricken by the disease. The most well-known is the American Cancer Society, which is the recipient of the largest fundraiser in Second Life: The Relay For Life.

I first heard about the Relay For Life in 2007 after being told about it by one of my few friends on the Grid at the time. My visits to Second Life were sporadic at the time. Seeing how impressive the builds were, well, the sights helped encourage me to visit more often. Two years later in 2009, I was spending some time with a fun-loving group in Second Life, the Sunweavers, whom hung out at the Cutlass Club. As it turned out, many of them, notably most of the livelier personalities, were part of a Relay Team: The Passionate Redheads. I heard about, and got to see, the Wild West Exhibit for the Relay Track they made for that year. It was an exciting build with lots to see and plenty to do on, from a mine cart ride to river rafting.

The team was more than just my furry neighbors. There were a number of others in the ranks. All led by Sabine McGettin and Daaneth Kiviok. Sadly, one teammate had passed away, Artistic Fimicloud. Many of us had tags "I Relay for Fimi." The pink fox avatar was gone, but she lived on in the hearts of her friends.

In 2010, I joined up with the Redheads. For the season, we were in events like "Jail and Bail," and fun parties, such as the "Fanta-sea" in which this of us with menfolk aves danced underwater with them. And then came the Relay Walk. For the first time, I walked the track not alone, but as part of a team. A team made up of virtual friends and neighbors. The music played at times added to the feeling that we were doing something great. We raised over $6300 that year, and got an award for "Longest Running Team," as well as a Platinum Rank.

As the 2011 season arrived, we looked forward to setting new records. Then came a bombshell. Co-Captain Daan had suffered a stroke. We wondered what would happen? Would our friend pass away? Would our fundraising be ground to a halt? But Daan began to recover, and the team refused to quit, continuing to hold events. Among them were the three "Bid Me Human" events, notably the one with Sunweaver leader Rita Mariner putting her pelt on the line and getting 75,000 Lindens. We sponsored three sims on the track that year, and our own was a detailed one with a Fairy-Tale theme, with lots to see and a number of puzzles to solve. We raised another record amount. We got another Platinum rank award, in addition to Daan getting the Spirit of Relay award for continuing to fight cancer, even when recovering from a stroke. And in July 28, we threw the last Redhead party for the season, thankful for Daan's recovering and having stuck together for another successful year. Unfortunetly, This would be the last time we would celebrate with Daaneth and Sabine.

In 2012, Daaneth and Sabine took indefinite leaves of absence from the team. Dusk Griswold assumed temporary leadership with Lomgren Small's help. The team went on, and managed to reach Gold status. But this would be the Redheads' last hurrah.

After six years, the Passionate Redheads are no more. If nothing else, we raised over $30,000 US dollars in cash for the American Cancer Society. But we did more than that. We helped shape the Relay, bringing about the first Spirit of Relay award, inspiring the "One Team" concept, and getting a number of prestigious awards through the years. And there was the bringing about of talent. With Lomgren Smalls and Alleara Snoodle, we had two of the most accomplished builders in Second Life. With Sunweaver leader Rita Mariner, the team had a community behind it. And there were other noteworthy individuals, such as Dusk Griswold, Treminari Huet, Shockwave Yareach, Nydia Tungsten, Skylark LeFarve, and many more.

Gone, but not forgotten. May the Redheads' passion continue as those who Relayed under its banner go on to a new banner to fight cancer under.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Today, Sabine McGettigan, the leader of the "Passionate Redheads" team, one of the leading teams for the popular Relay For Life cancer fundraiser, made an announcement. After six years of Relaying, there would be no more. She had reluctantly made the decision to disband the team.

As the 2013 season of Relay approaches, I find it my sad duty to disband the legendary Passionate Redheads Team for Relay for Life.

It has been an incredible SIX YEARS of fundraising for the American Cancer Society, and we have, in my opinion, accomplished some of the best work of any of the Relay Teams. In many ways, we helped to shape the Relay in Second Life, lighting the path for those who would follow us.

It was our team who implemented the very first Spirit of Relay award! We went on to be awarded the Spirit of Relay three times! Altogether, the Passionate Redheads won the equivalant of seven "Academy Awards" through the years, while raising over $30,000 USD for our favorite charity.

Our little team came to be known as the "Compassionate Redheads" because we provided a home to anyone wanting to Relay. Our Passionate Redheads inspired the now popular "One Team" events with our unflagging support of smaller teams who needed a presence. We were famous for showing up at events not our own, bringing with us our love, our charity, and our hope. Our motto was, "Take care of the people, and the money takes care of itself." This very spirit is our legacy, and it is a beautiful and worthy one.

I have loved this team with all my heart, for all these years; and love never ends. Thank you for standing with me for six years, for showering every member with compassion, for working with dedication, and for supporting the team always, no matter which direction we needed to take.

My special gratitude goes to Ginger (Dusk Griswold) and Lomgren Smalls, who selflessly stepped in last year when I was unable to continue with Relay. I ask that you take care of them, and of each other, with the beauty and passion that has always belonged to the extraordinary members of this most Passionate, Compassionate Team. All Love,Sabine McGettigan

A number of residents at the Sunweaver Estates, where the SL Newser office building makes it's home, were part of the Passionate Redheads team. This news does not mean these residents have stopped Relaying. There is talk about forming a new team to pick up where the Readheads left off.

Wow did I have fun Saturday!!! I got an invitation to be part of a
performance. Trill Zapatero send me the invite so I dove into my closet and
decided to go as a keel billed toucan, one of my favorite avatars since I have
seen that bird in Costa Rica.

I took off early to be sure to be in the region
at the start. The performance began in Sidney, Australia. More and more
fantastic animal avatars arrived, grunting, snorting, cawing, and
gathered to wait for the parade. It was the recreation of the run of the animals
across the Brooklyn Bridge, as seen in the movie “12 Monkeys,” a science
fiction movie of the 90's.

After a while and a lot of animal banter, we
began the run down the stairs and into the underground tunnel roads of Sidney,
and off onto the bridge across the bay directed by a lovely vaporous lacy squid
by the name of Blueberry Blintz, who is Vanneeesa Blaylock. It was
a great run!

We all escaped, though I was caught in the wall of the underground
tunnel for a bit, to return again. It was a great experience being THE
performance!! I have some pictures of the varied avatars that showed up. Loved
it all!! I joined the group so as not to miss any more
fun!

Yes it’s nearly that time of year again when we look for furry little Mole shadows. Do you have your shadows on? This year’s event will again take place at the Bay City Fairgrounds February 2nd at 1-4PM SLT. The annual - honor our favorite furry creatures- party will feature a stellar line up, with DJ GoSpeed Racer at 1PM SLT, longtime Bay City favorite; Christov Kohnke at 2PM, and the famed Choo Choo Chicks band singing and playing some get up and dance tunes from 3-4PM SLT. We look forward to sharing fun with friends old and new at the bandshell in North Channel, as ALL are invited to this family friendly FREE event!

If you would like to volunteer some of your time and or cash (to help cover entertainment costs), please contact Marianne McCann or Ever Dreamscape.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

January marches on, and so do the events across the Grid. Drop over to the Linden Endowment of the Arts regions and see the "DangerInMotion" exhibition. And see other happenings like "Ready for Love" and the "Winter Safety Game." And of course there's our regularly scheduled events from church services to live and DJ music events, to book and poetry readings, to races, and talk shows.

Betty Tureaud, artist, and Ultraviolet Alter, composer presented a new
art installation in La Vista del Mar. The Back Side of the Moon is the
first of a series called Art Planets 2013. A well attended opening party
took place on the back side of the moon on Friday. The exhibit is an explosion
of color in varied patterns, and not at all what I would expect the back side of
the moon to be. There is an expanse of color and motion all around .. so is
there a back side?

The music fit the color and movement. It is all set in a
great orb in the sky. This first installation will be here for 30 days and after
that the exhibit will change to another in the series. More than 40 people
arrived at the opening, including some of the SL artists. The stage where
ultraviolet played displayed lovely lips. Trill Zapatero, an SL artist,
called the exhibit,”an extravaganza of color and sound and
movement”

Monday, January 21, 2013

Today's column from DrFran Babcock hits on some sensitive issues. Her latest letter comes from the person behind a child avatar, for whom Second Life allowed the happy childhood that was never available in reality. Recently however, something happened that has cast a dark shadow over the once pleasant time here.

Grease Coakes recently found out about a new club, this one in the Spirit Nations sim. The Rawhide Club offers a place for Native Americans and friends of to hang out, as well as listen to music. Grease had a few words with the owner, as well as some of the others there.

Description: Join us in Tribute City as we usher in the Valentines seasons with a month long festival! Events include singles parties so youc an find that perfect someone, a couples photo contest, live djs, tribute bands and more!

SPECIAL EVENTS & LOCATIONS:

-FIND A DATE BY POSTING AN AD AT OUR ONSITE DATING AGENCY:

-READY FOR LOVE FESTIVAL MERCHANTS FAIR: Shop for great gifts for yourself or your special someone at our merchants fair!

-COUPLES PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION RAFFLE: Enter to win a free couples portrait from Mocha Visions Photography. Simply teleport in and touch the raffle board to enter. Limit one entry per person. A total of 4 photography sessions will be given away.

================================================

-CANAL BALLROOM: Looking for a quiet spot to dance with your love one? IF so try our new canal ballroom, ready in time for you and your special someone:

Sunday, January 20, 2013

In the computer age, people have become extra-busy, and sleeping less. So to keep sleepiness at bay, caffeine and energy drinks have become a must for people in real life. Reflected in Second Life, the machines are mainly for decoration, the cans they dispense for show.

But just suppose someone in the Grid came up with a vending machine that dispensed cans of which holding one cut down on one's lag-time. He'd make a killing.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Earlier this week, the pilots of the German air group in the New Bastogne WW2 combat area, JG-52, held a ceremony to reward pilots shown to have performed well in recent flying. While the place hasn't been entirely free of problems, the pilots continue to scrap in the air, and have fun.

Remember DrFran's article on the Frootcake Diner? If you want to learn more about the game, here's a video from Rifkin Habsburg, "At the Frootcake Diner, we serve nothing but fruitcake, all day, every
day! Learn to play Frootcake, the game, and you can extort and spite
with everyone else."

Friday, January 18, 2013

If you're interested in joining Steelhead's Relay For Life group, The Steelhead Salmons RFL, please contact Fuzzball Ortega. This also includes if you are interested in building for our campsite in July. Team registration begins in a few weeks, and kick off is March 9.

This year's challenge, coming up with fun events, items for RFL vendors, or anything else that would bring people to Steelhead.

Gemma Cleanslate came across a place in Second Life that has both a gallery and a social club. In the Paradise Valley sim, one can admire the artwork of Bonafidenutts "Bona" Aries at the sim's gallery. Then you can cross the street to Nat's Jazz Club and dance to the music.

Grey Lupindo didn't have to go too far for her latest interview. Grease Coakes, noted Second Life Newser reporter, has broken into book publishing with his children's story "Ginny Griffin Goes to School." Grease has been writing in one form or another for much of his life, and came up with the idea for "Ginny" a few years ago. Getting the story to print, however, was a challenge.

There's been a little talk about a relatively new virtual world called "Cloud Party." It appeared this summer, though required a Facebook account to connect to. Recently, the Facebook requirement was dropped, so those who want nothing to do with the popular but not always trusted social webservice can now log on with just a password and email account.

Singing up for an account and logging in, there were a few options in customizing one's avatar.
There was also the option of moving either via control keys or clicking
on a spot on the ground to get there. The land is not divided into sims,
but is made up of floating islands. Among them, there's one named
"IBM," which was used as a kind of sandbox for various items, including the cannons in the second pictures.

Free houses are available for those currently signing up for accounts. The one I got was on an island resembling a suburban area. Exploring around a little there were some examples of creativity, though those whom suggest it could give Second Life a serious run for it's money are mistaken in my opinion, at least for the near future. While Cloud Party holds promise, for now it doesn't look like it will be real competition for Linden Lab for a while.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

DrFran Babcock recently went on a shopping hunt that got her attention, the "Steampunk Meets Flowerpower Hunt." With it's mix of Steam Age and 60's items, it's an interesting mix in which one is sure to find some things they can use.

Kitt Peak National Observatory was the first major observatory complex when established over fifty years ago. This national observatory became a catalyst for the numerous astronomical sites of southern Arizona. The evening’s talk will discuss why and how a national observatory came to be, and why it was sited at Kitt Peak.

The evening’s speaker, Guy Jette, will discuss the major observatories/telescopes in operation at this site, including the McMath Solar Telescope, which has been the largest solar telescope for fifty years. This distinction will soon pass to the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope now under construction on Haleakalā. The relationships between other telescopes in southern Arizona and those on both Haleakalā and Mauna Kea will be highlighted. The talk will include key research, from Kitt Peak’s major role in identifying the existence of dark matter to a new $100 million dollar project called Big BOSS (Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey), a project with ties to Haleakalā's Pan-STARRS.

On Sunday night, January 13th, the Green Meadows club had it's Grand-Reopening. Dropping in at 6PM, when the party was to begin, there were about a dozen people there. Cynthia Farshore was the DJ for the night. There were a few technical difficulties at first, but co-owner Perri Prinz got Cynthia logged in. And after that it was "Music from the Far Shore" as Cynthia played a number of classic rock tunes, keeping with the club's 60s and 70s theme.

More people showed up as time went on. The style of the club was complemented, as well as the lighting and special effects. There was 1000 available on male and female contests boards for the "Most Fabulous" avatars.

The club had first appeared in the Sunweaver region a few years ago, known then as Club Xanadu. The club was and still is co-owned by ReCoyote Mindes, and Perri Prinz, a DJ in Second Life as well as a science-fiction/fantasy writer known for her "Spectral Shadows" serial. Perri's music specialty is classic rock from the 60s and 70s, and the club reflected that, named for a movie about men chasing their dreams who renovate an old building into a club. Since then, the name was changed to avoid possible trouble. But people continue to call it "Perri's Xanadu." The club had been closed due to real life difficulties Perri had, but now is back.